Rotary engine



Aug. 4, 1931. A. MARCUM ROTARY ENGINE Filed Dec. 7, 1928 ll l llll ll' w A BY fi flarcum,

IN VEN TOR ATTORNEY;

Patented Aug. 4, 1931 PATENT oFF cE ALFRED MABCUM, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY ROTARY ENGINE Application filed December 7, 1928. Serial No. 324,477.

This invention relatesto rotary engines. One object of the invention is to provide a rotary engine by which can be obtained the maximum of power. with the minimum of friction. l

Anotherobjcct' is to provide a rotary engine of this character which is operable by steam, compressed air or other fluid which is expansible and compressible, and which automatically cuts oil the operating fluid when a sufficient amount'has entered theengine, so the engine will be driven by the eX- pansion of the fluid, thereby saving the fluid from being wasted.

Another object is: to provide anengine of this character which is devoid of springs and other parts which are easily-broken or rendered ineffective by the operation of the machine.

Another object is to provide for distributing the motive fluid on all sides of the rotor, and thereby equalizing the pressure and minimizing the friction so as to obtain the maximum degree of efficiency and durability;

Another object is to provide an engine of this character which'h-as no dead point or period in its operation, but in which live actuating fluid begins to act on one of the actuating abutments before it is cutoff from act- 30 ing on another one of the abutments.

Other objects and important. features are f pointed out or implied in the'following details of description, in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional View along'the line 11 of Figure 2.

"Figure 2 is a side View of the casing and rotor, the main part of the leftside plate being removed,*but the inner boss or gear 49 wheel seat being shown in section.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which similar reference characters correspond to similar parts in the several views, the invention will now be described in detail as follows:

A main hollow body or casing is mounted on a base of any suitable construction, and this casing is formed of two separable secltions, that is, a hollow section 5 and a cover section or plate '6, the latter being secured tov the section 5 by screws or other appropriate means that permit it to be easily removed and replaced. The main cavity of the section 5 is elliptical (as plainlyshown in Figure 2) ,and in the center it communicates with a journal-bearing 7 which is axially alined with a journal bearing 8 of the cover-plate 6. A boss or gear-seat 9 surrounds the inner end of the journal-bearing, or may be considered a part thereof, and a spur gear wheel or -m-aster wheel 10 is fitted around and keyed on the boss 9, and also secured to the inner face of the plate 6 for maximum security, so it is held stationary with the hollow casing.

A rotor-shaft or driving shaft 11 is jour- Vnalled inthe bearings 7 and 8, and on this is keyed or otherwise secured a rotor 12 which can be actuated by steam or other compressible and expansible fluid, or even by a non-compressible fluid, as will presently be seen. This rotoris substantially or approximately cylindrical, being composed of cylinder-segments which are separated by equally'spaced recesses 13 which include journal bearings in which are journalledseveral fluid-actuated plates or pivoted abutments '14:, 14a and 14b,

' respectively, which are here differently design'ated' for the purpose of more clearly descfribing the operation of the engine, hereina ter. v

The marginal edges of'the rotor fit closely and slidingly against the plane inner surfaces'of the members 5- and 6, as seen at 15, but the intermediate parts are recessed, as shownat 5a and 6a, to provide fluid-distributing or equalizing chambers on opposite sides of the rotor, and pressure-equalizing ports or openings 16 are provided in continual open communication with the chambers 5a and 6a, so the friction of the parts 15 is reduced to the minimum.

The rotor is provided with fluid-feeding ports 17, 17a and 17 b which are preferably L-shaped so that they pass through the radial surface that faces the plate 6, and also pass through the peripheral surfaces of the rotor, into the respective recesses 13, Inasmuch as the rotor is cylindrical, and the main "cavity v of '5 is elliptical, ere eent shaped fluid-chambers 18 and 18a are provided on opposite sides of the rotor. In the present embodiment, these are lower and upper chambers, respectively.

An inlet port or opening 19 is provided through the plate 6, and the pressure fluid or actuating fluid enters therethrough into the distributing chamber 50, but the fluid is controlled by several fluid-cut-otl' members or spur-gear-wheels 20, 20a and 206 which are meshed with the stationary master wheel 10 and journalled on pivots or screws 21. These wheels have plane imperforate parts that cover the inlet ends of the feeding ports, respectively, and are apertured at 22 between their imperforate parts, to provide communicating passages between the distributing chamber 6a and the respective feeding ports 17, 17a and17Z). There are (in this embodiment) two diametrically opposite passages 22 for each of the fluid-cut-ofl' wheels, and each of these passages is of the proper length to communicate with any one of the feeding ports through about sixty degrees of the cycle of the wheel.

The plane wall of the body member 5 is provided with two exhaust ports 23 at diametrically opposite sides and in open communicationwith the respective chambers 18 and 18a, and near one end of each of these chambers.

The operation is as follows:

The steam or other motive fluid enters, under pressure, through the inlet opening 19 and is immediately distributed over the several cut-off members or wheels but can not pass through those that have their imperforate parts over the feeding ports; but passes through the wheel that has one of its passages 22 in open communication with the contiguous feeding port; for instance, considering the relation of parts shown in Figure 2, it is seen that the curved arrow indicates the direction of rotation, and that the feeding port 17 is beginning to be opened by one of the passages 22 coming into open communication therewith, so the fluid is entering that part of the pressure chamber 18 that is between the pivoted actuator or abutment 14 and the main body of the rotor 12, thereby forcing the abutment 14 into fluid-tight relation to the curved surface of the casing member 5 and exerting a pressure that tends to cause the rotor to rotate. As the rotor rotates in the direction of the arrow, the abutment 14 moves further and further outward, and thus presents more and more leverage until it reaches the widest or deepest part of the pressure chamber 18, and

after it has moved through about rotor, but also pivoted or journalled to rotate on their respective axes (at 21). Each fluidcut-off wheel is the same diameter as the master wheel 10, so each makes a complete revolution on its axis whenever the rotor;

makes a complete revolution on the shaft 11 and therefore, when the rotor makes a half of a revolution, from the position shown, its port 17 is diametrically opposite to where it is now seen, and the other passage 22 of the wheel 20 is beginning to communicate with the port 17 and therethrough to admit pres sure fluid into the pressure chamber 18a where the abutment 14 is again actuated by the fluid pressure. However, before this second actuation takes place, the feeding port 17 being closed (as described in the foregoing), the pent fluid continues to actuate the rotor (in consequence of its expansive force) until the abutment 17 begins to pass the lower exha-ust port 23, whereupon the rotor still continues to rotate in consequence of its momentum and of the fluid pressure against the next forward one of the abutments. The operation of each of the other abutments is precisely the same as explained for the abutment 17. However, it should be understood that each pressure chamber, 18 and 18a, is opened into the adjacent exhaust port immediately before the next rearward feeding port begins to admit pressure fluid into such pressure chamber. .Moreover, it is seen that the exhaust ports are much larger than the feeding ports, so the pressure chambers are very quickly relieved of the spent pressure fluid.

Although I have described this embodiment of my invention quite specifically, I do not intend to limit my patent protection to.

the exact details of description, construction, arrangement, dimensions or number of parts, ports, passages, etc, for the invention is susceptible of various changes within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

WVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. A rotary engine including a casing having an inlet port and an exhaust port therein, a rotor journalled in said casing and having abutments to rotate therewith and to receive fluid pressure for causing rotation of the ro tor, said casing and rotor combining to form a pressure chamber across which said abutment extends during a part of each cycle of the rotor, said rotor having feeding ports to open into said pressure chamber, fluid-controlling members in the casing and ournalled excentrically to the journal of the rotor and rotatable bodily with the rotor and operable upon their axes for opening and closing the feeding ports of the rotor, and means stationary within the casing and cooperative with the rotor for actuating said fluid con trolling members on their axes.

2. A rotary engine including a casing having an inlet port and an exhaust port therein,

or v) a rotor journalled in said casing and having abutments to rotate therewith and to receive fluid pressure for causing rotation of the ro- I tor, said casing and rotor combining to form a pressure chamber across which said abutments extend during a part of each cycle of the rotor, said rotor having feeding ports to open into said pressure chamber, wheels journalled on the rotor and having imperforate parts for closing the feeding ports and also having passages therethrough for opening the feeding ports into communication with said inlet port, and a normally stationary wheelin the casing and in mesh with the first said wheels and effective to cause rotation of the latter so as to automatically efiect the opening and closing of the feeding ports.

3. A rotary engine including a casing having an inlet port and two diametrically opposite exhaust ports, a rotor journalled in said cavity and dividing it into two fluidpressure chambers which are respectively in open communication with the said exhaust ports, abutments movably connected to the L rotor and adapted to extend across the respective pressure chambers and receive fluid pressure for rotating the rotor, said rotor having feeding ports respectively at the said abutments, a toothed member having its axis alined with that of the rotor, and gear wheels in mesh with the said toothed member and journalled on said rotor and automatically operable by the rotor and the said toothed member, the axes of the first said gear wheels being between the axis of the rotor and the said abutments, each of these three gear wheels being provided with two diametrically opposite passages and two diametrically opposite imperforate parts to alternately move into and out of position for opening and closing the respective feeding ports of the rotor.

4. A rotary engine including a casing having an inlet port and an exhaust port therein, a rotor journalled in said casing and spaced from one side thereof so as to form a fluid pressure chamber, abutments carried by said rotor and adapted to extend across said chamher and to transmit power from said fluid pressure chamber to said rotor, the rotor be-' ing provided with equalizing recesses on two opposite sides, one of the recesses being continually in open communication with said inlet port, said rotor also having an equalizing aperture therethrough and establishing acommunication between the recesses, apertured fluid-controlling members journalled on and rotatable with the rotor, and means to actuate the fluid-controllingmembers on their axes, said rotor having fluid-feeding ports in positions to be opened and closed by said fluidcontrolling members, the apertures of said fluid-controlling members being in open communication with one of said recesses. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. ALFRED MARCUM. 

